BENTLEYVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Investigators are trying to find out who may have killed up to 30 Canada geese and as many as 10 mallards found dumped along the Chagrin River in northeast Ohio.

A state wildlife officer says investigators found the birds Wednesday in Cleveland Metroparks' South Chagrin Reservation. The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer (http://bit.ly/VyXtew) reports he believes they were strangled and probably were considered nuisances.

Investigators say evidence indicates a truck backed up and drove away from the Bentleyville area where the birds were dumped.

The officer says the birds were taken illegally. Property owners can apply for nuisance permits, but the preferred control methods involve harassing and driving off animals, not killing them.

Park rangers concluded the birds were netted and penned on private property before death.